After a while, Ed showed and brought a massive pot with stew and then passed several wooden bowls and spoons to everyone before filling it. It smelled delicious, so Sigma didn't hesitate to eat… as expected, it was superb, so Sigma didn't hold back.
"There is still a lot more. You guys can ask for more if you want," Ed said while smiling.
"It seems that you are the type who enjoys cooking more than eating," Sigma said, and then he looked at the other two for a moment. "If you spoil those two too much… no, never mind."
"Come on, there is no need to hold back," Ed said. "In any case, you are right about your first statement."
"I guess life here forces people to live like that, but it seems weird to me that you would be living with your sisters at your age," Sigma furrowed his eyebrows.
"Hahaha, I guess so," Ed said and then laughed a little more. "Well, most people think that our generation will be the last, so they aren't that eager to have kids."
"Makes sense, I guess," Sigma said, and then he went to finish his meal.
Once he finished his meal, Sigma went to use the MP that he had recovered during that day. It was enough to level up again… he did exactly that, but he made a mental note to make Heal level up a few times again to make it more efficient. While using it would work the same way, it would consume his mana.
"We don't have more than three bedrooms here, so you can use mine for today," Ed said while he was cleaning the bowls.
"I will be fine sleeping in the corner of this room," Sigma replied.
"Don't be shy. That won't bother me," Ed said.
"I am not being particularly shy. I'd just rather avoid sleeping in another guy's room," Sigma explained. "I won't be able to relax that much anyway."
"Why are you showing so much personality in this matter alone?" Ed furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, feel free to use the couch. Anyway, do you have any idea what you are going to do tomorrow? If you are planning to go on a long journey, you will need more than a few things. While they are rare nowadays, you can buy a horse with some magic stones since people rarely travel between cities."
"Why didn't you have them then?" Sigma asked.
"Well, they aren't exactly good for stealthy missions," Ed replied. "We mostly do that kind of job, and if things get out of hand, our team is balanced enough to endure most troublesome situations."
"An archer would be welcome now… even though you are quite the… unusual figure," Sabrina said. "No offense."
"None taken. In any case, I am sure you guys will eventually find one," Sigma replied, and then he headed to the corner of the room and sat down. "I will see what I can do to get the magic stones tomorrow for the horse."
That wasn't a bad idea since Sigma needed to focus on using his stamina with Power Shot. After some training, he might also be able to use the bow while riding a horse, and that will be more than a little bit useful.
"Well, we probably can give you a hand with that since hunting around the area is also part of our job to make sure that things will remain peaceful," Ed said. "Let's go to bed, we all need a serious break."
Sigma didn't want to share the spoils since it would be the same as forcing him to work for longer, but in the end, he will have to be guided to the hunting spots. They managed to cross thirty kilometers without being found by a single monster, after all. Those three knew the area pretty well.
Before long, Sigma saw himself snoozing in the room. The temperature was just nice enough to make him relax and make his body and mind feel the fatigue of the whole day and night. It was a bit uncomfortable, but he felt safer sleeping with the bow on his side and the quiver on his legs. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep just like that.
Ed, Sabrina, and Eclair came to check with him a few times, but they didn't even come to the living room since they noticed that he was deep asleep.
When the first sun rays began to enter the living room, Sigma got up and then rubbed his eyes to check things outside… A few people were walking in the city at that time of the day. While stretching his body, he felt like he needed to do something productive with his time until the time came for the hunt.
"I guess I will practice with the bow…" Sigma thought and then left the house while looking for some trees around.
Fortunately, Sigma didn't have to walk for long. He found the perfect target around a house that had its walls destroyed by some sort of fire attack. The tree had been damaged as well, so no one would complain if he used it for practice.
"These arrowheads are pretty well made… I wonder if the bandits made themselves or if they stole," Sigma thought. "With Earth Manipulation, I might be able to save time using arrows made of earth… or at least I should use arrowheads made of hardened earth.
In any case, Sigma began to train, and soon he noticed a few things. When he hit the exact place that he aimed, he would gain one experience point. When he missed the target but he still hit close enough, he would gain another point after five shots as long as his posture was correct. The trick to making such skills level up fast, even during training, was to be as efficient as possible.